By Morgan Nunley 

Online Editor 

The Christmas Film Countdown continues with what I would consider to be the best Christmas comedy that there is. “The Ref” from 1994 is a really great honorable mention, but the gut-busting laughs for the holidays, in my family, always come at the expense of watching “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation” from 1989. The film was directed by Jeremiah S. Chechik, while being written and co-produced by the legendary comedy director and writer, John Hughes. 

The film revolves around the Griswolds and their attempt to have the best holiday and family Christmas ever, with Clark doing everything he can, maybe even to an obsessive point, to make sure that everything and everyone is having at least an enjoyable time, while also simultaneously losing his mind a bit, because nothing goes how he expected or thought it would. 

The film stars Chevy Chase, Beverly D’Angelo, and Randy Quaid in their roles as Clark Griswold, his wife Ellen Griswold, and their cousin Eddie Johnson, respectively. The film doesn’t have the best directing, shooting, cinematography, or even shots or stills. 

What this film does better than any film I can think of is make a family relatable movie. There is nothing more relatable than doing everything you can to make sure that Christmas, or any holiday for that matter, goes off without a hitch, only for every hitch to go off within the span of 15 minutes. 

The protagonist, Clark, is in that situation almost every time he attempts to do something with and for his family, and sometimes it isn’t even in his control or his fault that things are going awry, even though, most of the time, it is his fault in some slapstick, funny way, such as the ladder scene. 

There are so many great set pieces of physical comedy that the film doesn’t have to rely on complex shots or angles. The film uses language, humor, and comedy to entertain the audience in a way that no Christmas film has before, or ever will again. 

The darker and more grounded moments are more based in realism because this family seems so relatable. They are really the average family, attempting to have a great family reunion for the holidays. 

That is all due to the masterful job of writing and acting by Hughes and the performers. Quaid’s performance as Cousin Eddie is one of the funniest performances of a side character and one of the most entertaining side characters in any comedy film, let alone a Christmas film under these circumstances. 

The film was initially met with mixed reviews and disliking by some people. The film, though, did become a cult classic, and has become part of many people’s Christmas tradition. Technically, cinematography-wise, and shot for shot, it wouldn’t even be considered a classic of any genre, but because of the personalities involved on-screen, because of the writing and producing of Hughes, and because of the masterclass or physical and verbal comedy at various points throughout the film make this Christmas classic and a must-watch for any comedy fan or Christmas fan. 

Final Take: 4.75/5